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Strict compliance with Amended Local Rule 4

Prior to setting a matter on the motion calendar, the party or attorney noticing the motion shall attempt to resolve the matter and shall certify the good faith attempt to resolve. See amended Local Rule 4.

E-Service

Circuit Civil Division AJ participates in the Court's online/eservice program in "Judicial E-Service" (optional electronic mailing of orders from Court to Counsel/Registered Parties). If any counsel and/or party are not registered with the Court's online system, counsel shall provide self-addressed stamped envelopes for these parties to be served. See Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516. See Also Administrative Order 2.310.

Division AJ is currently e-serving Orders to attorneys/parties who have registered their primary and secondary email addresses with the 15th Judicial Circuit. Register for Judicial E-service.

E-Filing

Please note that E-filing is the electronic filing of documents with the office of the Clerk & Comptroller of Palm Beach County. See Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.515. For more information on E-filing, please call (561) 355-2986 or visit MyPalmBeachClerk.com.

Proposed Orders

Proposed Orders, including Agreed Orders, Ex Parte Orders, and Orders Specially Setting Hearing are to be submitted through the Online Scheduling System. They will be rejected if they do not include A cover letter of form cover sheet as an attachment/supporting document.

Copies of the motion should also be attached as a supporting document if applicable.

Please list all email addresses of all counsel and all parties on all proposed orders and include a cover letter referencing the date of the hearing and whether opposing counsel has reviewed and approved of the form of the proposed order. All orders submitted without a cover letter will be rejected.

Special Set Hearings

Special Set Motions are scheduled via the Online Scheduling System and are set by Order Setting Hearing which is available under our Divisional Forms and Orders.

Only one block of time (15 & 30 minutes) per day for each case may be reserved.
(You may stack two fifteen minute hearing times to create 30 minutes)

Any request for hearing times that EXCEED thirty (30) minutes must be done so in writing and submitted by mail. Your correspondence MUST include a cover letter stating how much time is requested, why the excess time is needed and include a copy of the motion to be heard. Post-judgment motions must include an order sustaining the motion(s) before the judge.

Movant brings to the hearing: proposed order and sufficient copies and self-addressed stamped envelopes for all parties.

Parties may send pertinent court documents, the ORIGINAL memorandum of law and a courtesy copy to the Court seven (7) days prior to hearing along with a cover letter with the case number, style of the case and date of hearing.

All Motions to Dismiss to be heard must include the copy of the complaint and/or the amended complaint that they are referring to.

Specially set hearings are set by Court order and cannot be canceled/continued/added on to except by further order of the Court unless the matter is settled (with agreed order presented to Court at time of scheduled special set hearing or the motion/petition is withdrawn).

Appearance by Telephone

The Court DOES permit telephonic appearances for the Uniform Motion Calendar and Specially Set Hearings up to 30 min. No telephone hearings are allowed for evidentiary hearings unless by Court order. At least one party must appear in person. At the time of hearing the party appearing in person MUST give the telephone number of the party appearing by phone to the Judge or Courtroom Deputy. If more than one Law Office is appearing by phone, then they should all be on ONE LINE at the time of phone call. Division AJ DOES NOT utilize CourtCall. All court call calendars received will be disregarded.

If multiple parties wish to appear by phone. They must all be on one line at the time that the call is initiated.

Designation of Record Newspaper

Effective October 1, 2015, in accordance with Florida Statute § 50.0711(2), the designated Record Newspaper for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida will be The Palm Beach Post. See Administrative Order 2.104 or view the stamp template for filing.

Strict Compliance with Amended RJA 2.520:

Effective January 1, 2015, The Florida Supreme Court mandated space for recording, date and time stamps on documents. All documents filed with the Court must have one-inch margins on all sides. All documents to be recorded in the Official Records must also have a blank 3-inch x 3-inch space on the top right of the first page and a blank 1-inch x 3-inch space on the top right of all subsequent pages (e.g. Judgments, Orders of Dismissal, Stipulations of Dismissal/Settlement, Notices of Appeal). Documents that do not comply with these rules will be returned to the sender for correction prior to being filed with the Court. See Florida Supreme Court Order SC14-721; Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.520. See Also MyPalmBeachClerk.com

The Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller's Office automatically records certain documents in the Official Records, including the following documents. Documents that do not comply with the above rules may be returned, and shall be resubmitted upon request:

Final Judgment of Foreclosure

Final Judgment

Default Final Judgment

Judgment

Notice of Appeal

Notice of Cross Appeal

Notice of Non-Final Appeal

Amended Notice of Appeal

Order of Dismissal

Verdict

Important Notice: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases

Motions that are filed in residential mortgage foreclosure cases shall be set for hearing on the Court's Uniform Motion Calendar ("UMC") and shall be heard on a first come-first served basis and in accordance with Circuit Civil Division AJ instructions.

PLEASE NOTE: Beginning January 8, 2019 UMC's will be set using the online scheduling system.

UMC Hearings are held at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday - Thursday (on a calendar that concludes at 9:30 a.m.), and are set among counsel (NOT online) and in accordance with local rules and procedures. When a UMC hearing is set, the Moving Party shall send a courtesy copy of the Motion, Notice of Hearing and all other materials via regular mail no later than five (7) days prior to the hearing. If the matter is resolved or the UMC hearing is cancelled prior to its schedule, please send a copy of the Notice of Cancellation to CAD-DivisionAJ@pbcgov.org to advise the Court immediately.

Opposing counsel and all parties shall be copied on all email transmissions to the Court.

Always check the suspension calendar before scheduling a UMC and monitor it after as it is subject to change.